The upper airway cough syndrome causes chronic cough and pharyngeal secretions. These syndromes are often attributable to post nasal drip and rhinitis, which is an inflammation of the mucosal lining the nasal cavity that may block the nasal airways.
One of the main treatments consists in administering aerosolized corticosteroid through the nasal airways. The patient sprays corticosteroid through the nostrils and inhales in hopes that the flow of corticosteroid particles will travel through the nose, into the oropharynx, and possibly into the larynx to eliminate, or at the very least reduce the symptoms of the upper airway cough syndrome. However, the flow of particles is often arrested in the anterior region of the nasal cavities due to anatomical encumbrances in the form of turbinates, which may be swollen, particularly in patients suffering from rhinitis. This prevents sufficient deposition of particles in the regions producing the aforementioned secretions: the posterior region of the nasal cavity, the pharynx, and the larynx. As a result, the treatment is often of limited effectiveness.
Deposition of particles in the pharynx and larynx can be achieved incidentally through oral inhalation of asthma medication. A corticosteroid or other asthma medication may be packaged in a pressurized canister operably connectable with a mouthpiece. The patient inserts the mouthpiece in the mouth, depresses the canister, which releases the corticosteroid in aerosolized form, and inhales the released corticosteroid from the mouthpiece, through the oral and laryngeal cavities, and into the lungs. The majority of the corticosteroid is deposited on the airways of the lungs, causing limited reflux on the following exhalation.